Fullmetal Alchemist 17

This is another series which is best read with volumes back-to-back as much as possible. The plot is quite good, but there’s so much going on that it’s hard to keep track of everything in the gaps between volumes, especially since we’re basically on the same release schedule as Japan now.

The action is currently taking place in Briggs, under the supervision of Major General Armstrong. I can’t really recall what Al and Ed were doing up this far north (I’m going to have to go back through the last few volumes to refresh myself), but I didn’t really have to think about it too much, because right away, the last homunculus, Sloth, attacked. Well, he didn’t so much attack as he did appear out of a hole, fall asleep, and take a beating. I actually kind of liked Sloth, he wasn’t nearly as antagonistic as the others.

Most importantly, the entire plot of the series is pretty much revealed in this volume, including what was behind the founding of the country and all its military conflicts. It’s actually kind of an interesting revelation, and I’m always pleased by such things so late in the series, because I admire stories that are tightly plotted and planned this far in advance. Actually, that’s an understatement, because having a story this tightly plotted is a rare treat given the fact manga is subject to the pressures of… well, trying to be as popular as possible with readers. I imagine what readers like and what the most popular types of storylines are has a lot to do with what the artists are allowed to draw. These types of plots that are planned far in advance and have such extensive story leading directly to the climax are rare in the normal shoujo-type stories I read.

A slight con is pulled in the end, which I also liked, but it seems like the con may backfire given the fact a murderer is now on the loose and is authorized to exercise his own best judgment by King Bradley.

Scar and Mei are still around. I guess just keep them in mind, because nothing much is going on yet, save for the fact another person traveling with them explains how the Astarian alchemy works, as opposed to how the energy is collected for Mei’s Eastern alchemy.

As always, Hiromu Arakawa has some of the best omake. The bonuses at the end of this volume aren’t quite as funny as they usually are, but they still make me laugh, which is good enough for me.

At least we don’t have to wait so long for the next volume, I think volume 18 comes out in March or so.